I’m Thankful For You: My Daughter’s Grandma
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Katie McGregory and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.)
This November, I want to honor my mom Julie. She’s my number one partner in this autism journey. Yes, I have a husband, but he works and is not as involved in the autism/therapy/insurance stuff on a daily basis. My mom is the first person I usually call about Addie’s accomplishments, about ABA, speech, etc. She’s been to many important appointments and evaluations with me. She’s read books and educated herself on how to help. If it weren’t for her, I’d probably curl up into a ball and cry trying to manage everything that comes with autism. She loves my baby, so much.
My second daughter, Addie, was born three years ago and was difficult from the start. Jaundice, then an allergy to milk, debilitating eczema, sleepless nights…. that was just the first six months. Once we got her multiple food allergies diagnosed, got her on elemental formula, and started sleeping more, life was good. At 12 months, I expressed concern to the doctor that she wasn’t saying any words. Aside from that, I didn’t see a lot of red flags. She was happy, pretty social with us, mobile, etc.
Over the next six months, the signs started to show. Addie didn’t point, she didn’t show us things, ask for things, and still didn’t speak at all. At her 18 month checkup, the doctor finally sounded the alarm. He was very concerned. She’d scored very high risk on the autism risk assessment. He referred her to Early Childhood Intervention for therapy and to the Texas Children’s Autism Center for an evaluation. I filled out a novel, sent it off to them (in March 2016) and waited.
In the meantime, we started OT and social skills therapy with Easter Seals of Greater Houston. Side note, I’m forever thankful to her therapists Ashley, Jackie, and Tina. They came to our home and helped Addie come out of her own little world and to rejoin our world.
On October 5th, 2016 I received a call saying “Hey, we’ve got an unexpected opening. Can you come in for the autism evaluation tomorrow?” I remember this date because October 6th is not only my birthday, but also my husband’s birthday. I, of course said yes. We had been waiting seven months for this day!
My husband couldn’t come, so my mom dropped everything and came to the evaluation with me. I will summarize the day for you. Addie cried the entire time, nothing was accomplished, and we were all traumatized. The doctor referred us for further testing with a psychologist, and an ADOS assessment. This went much better. It was play-based and Addie really enjoyed it.
We returned a few weeks later and received the news that she was autistic. Honestly, by then I knew. I think we took it well, but there was definitely some grieving over the next few months.
As soon as we had the diagnosis, my sweet mom started educating herself as much as she could. She read books, started following some great Facebook pages (like Cooper’s!), and shared whatever tips she could with me. She’s attended parent observations at ABA and has tagged along to speech as well. Simply put…she gets Addie. They have a very special relationship that I cherish. My mom even started her own Facebook page, A Grandparent’s Guide to Autism, centered around being the grandparent to a child with autism. I’m not sure if she knows I read, but I do! I love it. Seeing the grandparents perspective is amazing.
We continued with Early Intervention until she aged out at three. Today, she’s attending ABA for five hours a day and speech twice a week. Her speech therapist (shout-out to Mrs. Michelle) is an absolute miracle, Addie loves her. She’s making so much progress in her skills and her language. Recently, she called me Mama for the first time ever. I’m amazed daily at what she can do!
You can still nominate the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family that make a difference in your special needs world. Click HERE to learn how!
